In a conversation that I had with a volunteer today, she told me about a friend of hers that recently was part of a focus group commissioned by Dominion Power. The goal of the focus group was to discuss how to present our energy options, and which energy options are the most attractive to the general public. Seems like pretty standard advertising, right? You want to know how to sell your product to consumers, right?

But when I followed up with the question, “which energy options were discussed?” I was shocked (well, not really…) to hear that Dominion only cares to know about how people feel in regards to coal and nuclear. There was no mention of renewable energy at all during the entire focus group!

So, and here is where I start making inferences, Dominion is putting in the work to learn how to best sell us MORE coal and MORE nuclear, without any regard of how to sell us more of what we want: Renewable Energy! If I had to say why that is, I would guess that it is because Dominion gets massive subsidies to sell us coal and nuclear power, both from the federal and state governments. The profit margins of renewable energy must not be high enough for them to care yet, not when they know that the Virginia government will guarantee them 14% profit on a new coal plant, regardless of how much damage it does to our climate, our mountains and our health!

This is exactly why we need strong leadership. With companies like Dominion Power dumping millions of dollars into marketing and advertising to maintain the status quo, it is going to be very hard to ever get people to believe that we can use our energy more efficiently and that renewable energy is a solution.

Governor Kaine, I am looking in your direction now. Show the state that you are serious about climate change and that you actually want to help us reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 30%; stop the Wise County Power Plant. You must promote clean energy and be the leader Virginia needs a leader to help save our coasts from rising sea levels, make our air more breathable, prevent mountain top removal, bring jobs that don’t destroy lives to Southwest Virginia, and give us 21st century energy solutions.

Have a heart. Be that leader.